Sofa structure



Feb.15,1966 A.J.M|KOS 3,234,567

SOFA STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed DSC. 2, 1963 Feb. l5, 1966 A. J. MlKos i 3,234,567

SOFA STRUCTURE Filed DeC. 2, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FEE United States Patent C)l 3,234,567 SOFA STRUCTURE Aloysius J. Mikos, Skokie, Ill., assignor to The Seng Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 2, 1963, Ser. No. 327,222 14 Claims. (Cl. 5-51) This invention relates to a sofa structure, and more particularly to a convertible sofa or davenport bed in which the forward extremity of the seatcushion support and the top of the davenport frame front rail may be displaced downwardly under weight. v

A common objection to convertible davenport beds is that the bed frame crossbar which is at the front of the folded bed, and the top of the davenport frame front rail, afford rigid longitudinally extending bars which lie beneath the forward portions of the seat cushions and thus interfere with the comfort of a person seated upon the davenport. In particular, the rigid crossbars require the use of relatively stily sprung seat cushions rather than very soft and compressible cushions through which the rigid bars would be felt against the legs of a person seated on the davenport.

In accordance with the present invention the' davenport front rail is surmounted by firm, resilient cushioning means so that the top of the front rail` may compress under weight; and the uppermost crossbar of the folding bed mechanism which lies immediately behind the top of the front rail in folded position is resiliently supported so that ythe crossbar may move bodily downward under weight.

Accordingly, the principal object o'f the present invention is to provide a more comfortable sofa or daven-` port structure, and particularly such a structure which includes a folding bed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sofa or davenport frame in which the top of the frontrail is covered with firm, resilient cushioning means.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a convertible davenport bed in which the uppermost crossbar at the front of the folded bed structure is resiliently supported so that it may move bodily downward under weight.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a prefabricated cushion assembly which may be quicklyvand easily secured to the top of a davenport frame front rail before the frame is upholstered.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a fragmentary front elevational view of an un-upholstered convertible davenport bed embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section taken substantially as illustrated alongV the line 2 2 of FIG. 1 with the forward part of the fabric seat deck broken away to illustrate the resilient support for the uppermost folding bed crossbar;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substan-` tially as illustrated along the line 3 3 of FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section on an enlarged scale taken substantially as illustrated along the line 4 4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially as illustrated along the line 5 5 of FIG. 4 with the spring broken away to more clearly illustrate the structure of the spring bracket; andV FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section on an enlarged scale taken substantially as illustrated along the line 6 6 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and referring first to FIGS. l and 2, a convertible davenport bed nation representing firm.

3 ,234,567 Patented Feb.` 1,5,V

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has a rectangular base, indicated generally at 10, that includes end rails 11 and a front rail 12. As seen in FIG. 1, the front rail has relatively high end portions 13 and a central recess 14 which extends substantially from end to end of the front rail.

A folding bed structure, indicated generally at 15, has a plurality of pivotally connected end frame members 16 which are near the end rails 11 of the base when the bed structure is folded within the base 10, and a crossbar 17 is at the top of the folded bed structure immediately behind the front rail 12. A wire frame 18 of the foldingV bed structure carries a fabric seat deck 19 on which the loose seat cushions (not shown) are supported.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 4, the crossbarl 17 is seen to have flattened 'ends 17a; and spring brackets 20, which are riveted to the end frame members 16, include forwardly projecting tabs 21 containing holes 22 in which hooks 23 of helical tension springs 24 are secured, th'e opposite endsof the' `springs 24 having hooks 25 that impale holes in the flattened Aend portions 17a of the crossbar 17. Thus, the brackets 20 and springs 24 provide means resiliently supporting the crossbar 17 on the bed frame so that the crossbar may move bodily downward under weight. Each spring bracket 20 has a forwardly extending arcuate ange 26 which is immediately beneath the helical tension spring 24, and an upright' yilange27 which is immediately behindythe spring, so that when weight is applied to the crossbar 17 the stretched spring 24 curves around the flange 26 and is held against re'arward movement by the upright flange 27. y

Referring now particularly to FIGS. l and 6, the davenport front rail 12 is surmounted by cushioning means, indicated generally at 28, that provide a firm, resilient top for the front rail. The cushioning means 28 preferably is furnished as a prefabricated sub-assembly, and includes a bottom strip of screen cloth 29 bonded to which is a base block 30 of rubberized, curled hair. Bonded to the top of the base block 30 is a flexible metal strap 31 at the ends of which are helical tension springs 32 having outer hooks 33 connected to mounting plates 34. An upper strip of screen cloth 35 is bonded to the top of the flexible metal strap 31, andl bonded to theupper screen cloth 35 is an upper block 36 of, rubberized curled hair having loose end portions 36a which extend over the springs 32 andthe mountingy plates 34.

As seen in FIG. 6,I the cushioning means 28 has its base block 30 secured in the front rail recess 14 by means of staples 37, and the mounting platesr34 are screwed or nailed to the elevated end portion 13 of the front rail. After the mounting plates 34 have been secured to the'. front rail the loosened end portions 36a of the upper cushion block 36 may be bonded to the plates 34 by any suitable bonding means.

The blocks of rubberized curled hair utilized in the cushioning means 28 are fully described in publications of the American Society for Testing and Materials for which various grades and standards are established forv rubberized curled hair. The 1962 supplement rto the book of ASTM Standards, Part ll, contains tentative specifications and methods of test for rubberized curled hair from which the nature of the material and the specifications for it may be determined.

A suitable firmness for the cushioning means 28 is produced by using grade 200F in the base block 30, which means that the thickness is 2 inches with the letter desig-4 The top block 36 is preferably lOOF, which is l inch thick and firm. Actually, the compressibility of a strip or block of rubberized curled hair is very much higher if the hair is oriented generally parallel to a compressive force; and the bottom block 30 does have the hair so oriented. It is desirable that the` extreme upper portion of the cushioning means 28 be relatively softer, and accordingly the upper block 36 has the curled hair oriented generally parallel to the fiexible metal strap 31. By the methods of test employed in determining the original degree of firmness of the rubberized curled hair, grade ZOOP has an original degree of firmness of 36 to 4l pounds if the curled hair is oriented generally perpendicular to the line of force; while the lOOF has an original degree of firmness of 38 to 42 pounds. However, by using the grade 200F with the curled hair oriented generally parallel tothe line of force, a great deal higher firmness is obtained. VThe original degree of firmness in rubberized curled hair is determined by using a 6-inch square test specimen and loadinghit evenly under a platen that covers the entire area. The original thickness is first determined by loading the specimen to 1 pound; after which the original degree of firmness is determined by applying enough load to compress the 6 x 6 specimen to 50% of its original thickness after 15 seconds.

Referring. again to FIG. 6 of the drawings, it is seen that the upper block 36 is slightly crowned toward-the center, and -that the helical tension spring 32.is slightly upwardly inclined away from the fastening plate 34. The normal tension applied to upholstery when it is fastened to thefront rail is sufficient to eliminatethe slight crown from the upper block 36 and bring the spring 32 toa substantially horizontal orientation. Likewise, this leaves the free end portiony 36a of the upper block 36 positioned firmly against the spring 32 so that when weight is applied to the cushion means 28 the spring becomes slightly embedded in the underside of the top block 36 and thus stabilizes the end portions of the latter against a tendency to slide rearwardly or forwardly out of line with the base block 30 and the front rail 12. Y The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim: n l

1. In a convertible davenport bed of the type in which a folded bed structure supports loose seat cushions, in combination: a rectangular base having end rails and a front rail; a folding bed structure that occupies a folded positionwithin the base, said bed .structure having pivotally connected end frame members near the ends of the base, the front of said folded structure being close behind the base front rail; a pair f spring brackets secured to the front of the folded structure close to the top of the base front rail, each of said brackets having an eye and an arcuate spring supporting fiange; a helical tension spring hooked into each eye and overlyingthe flange; and a crossbar that has its ends secured to said springs so that weight on the crossbar elongates said springs to permit the crossbar to move bodily downward while the elongated springs curve around said arcuate fianges.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the spring brackets are rigidly secured to the bed structure.

3. A cushioning member for the front rail of a davenport frame, said member comprising: a base block of firm resilient material which is substantially the length and width of a front rail, said base block being relatively resistant to compression; a fiexible metal strap bonded to the top of said base block; a pair of helical tension springs on the ends of 'said strap and adapted to be secured to the frame adjacent the ends of the front rail; and an upper block of firm, resilient material secured to the top of the strap, said upper block being much less resistant to compression than is the base block.

4. The cushioning member of claim 3 in which the base block is rubberized, curled hair with the hair oriented generally perpendicular to the metal strap, and the upper block is rubberized, curled hair with the hair oriented generally parallel to the strap, l K

5. The cushioning member of claim 3 which includes a lower strip of screen cloth bonded to the bottom of the base block, and an upper strip of screen cloth bonded to the bottom of the top block and to the strap.

6. The cushioning member of claim 3 in which the helical tension springs are principally beyond the ends of the base block, and the top block extends continuously over the base block and said springs. l v

7. In a convertible davenport bed of the type in which a folded bed structure supports loose seat cushions, in combination: a rect-angular base having end rails and a front rail; a folding bed structure that occupies a folded position within the base, said bed structure having pivotally connected frame members near the ends of the base, the front of said folded structure being close behind the base front rail; a pair of spring brackets secured'to the front of the folded structure close to the top of the base front rail, each of said brackets including a laterally extending upright flange which is behind and generally parallel with the front rail, and an eye immediately forward of the flange; a generally laterally extending helical tension spring hooked into each eye and having its entire length immediately in front of the flange; and a rigid crossbar that has its ends secured to said springs so that weight on the crossbar elongates said springs to permit the crossbar to move bodily downward. without bending while the upright flanges effectively prevent rearward movement of the springs and thus of the crossbar.

8. The combination of claim 7 in which the spring brackets include spring supporting flanges `at the lower margins of the upright fianges `and beneath the springs.

9. The combination of claim 8 in which the spring supporting flanges are arcuate and have their inner ends curved downwardly, so the springs may curve around said anges as they elongate.

10. The combination of claim 7 in which the front rail ofthe base includes a rigid lower portion, and firm, resilient cushioning means surmounting said. rigid portion and having a top surface substantially coplanar with that of the rigid crossbar, so that said front rail may compress under weight as said crossbar moves bodily downward.

11. In a convertible davenport bed of the type in which a folded bed structure supports loose seat cushions, in combination: a rectangular base having end rails and a front rail;v a folding bed. structure that occupies a folded position within the base, said bed structure having pivotally connected end frame members near the ends of the base and a crossbar close behind and parallel to the base front rail, the top of said crossbar being substantially coplanar with the upper margin of the front rail; firm, resilient cushioning means surmounting the front rail of the base so that the top of said front rail compresses under weight, said cushioning means including a base block of "a relatively high degree of firmness, a flexible metal strap "bonded to the top of the base block, and an upper block 'bonded to the top of the strap, said upper block being of a substantially lower degree of firmness than the base block; and means resiliently supporting said crossbar on the bed frame so that said crossbar may move bodily downward under weight. p I

12. In a convertible davenport bed of the type in which a folded bed structure supports loose seat cushions, in combination: a rectangular base having end rails and a front rail; a folding bed structure that occupies a folded position within the base, said bed structure having pivotally connected end frame members near the ends of the base and a crossbar close behind and parallel to the base front rail, the top of said crossbar being substantially coplanar with the upper margin of the front rail; firm, re-

silient cushioning means surmounting the front rail of the basegso that `the top -oflsaicl front rail compresses under y vsA/Aei'ghsaid.cushioning means including ya base block secured to the top of the front rail, said block being rubberized. curled hair with the hair generally vertically oriented to provide relatively great resistance to compression, a flexible metal strap overlying the base block,

tension springs at the ends of the strap `and connected to the base adjacent the ends of the latter, and an upper block of rubberized curled. hair surmounting the strap, said upper block having the hair generally horizontally oriented for relatively easy compressibility; and means reysiliently supporting said crossbar on the bed frame so that said crossbar may move bodily downward under weight.

13. In a convertible davenport bed of the type in which a folded bed structure supports loose seat cushions, in combination: a rectangular base having end rails and a front rail; a folding bed structure that occupies a folded position within the base, said bed structure having pivotally connected end frame members near the ends of the base and a crossbar close behind and parallel to the base front rail, the top of said crossbar being substantially coplanar with the upper margin of the front rail; iirm, resilient cushioning means surmounting the front rail of the base so that the top of said front rail compresses under weight; and means resiliently supporting said. crossbar on the bed frame so that said crossbar may move bodily downward under weight, said resilient supporting means including a pair of helical tension springs each hav. ing a first end secured to the ends of the crossbar, and a pair of spring brackets on the base, each of said brackets including a tab onto which the second. end of a spring is hooked, and an arcuate spring supporting ange on each said bracket about which the spring curves as the crossbar moves downwardly under weight.

14. In a davenport, in combination: a rectangular base having end rails and a front rail; means in said base to support loose seat cushions; and cushioning means surmounting the front rail, said cushioning means including a lower block of rubberized curled hair in which the hair is generally vertically oriented. to provide relatively greater resistance to compression, said lower block secured to the top of said front rail, a tiexible metal strap overlying the base block, helical tension springs connecting the ends of the strap to the base adjacent the ends of the latter, and an upper block of rubberized curled hair in which the hair is generally horizontally oriented for relatively easy compressibility, said upper block surmounting the exible metal strap.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 143,854 10/1873 Smith et al 2-261 2,217,426 10/1940 Zareko 5-12 X 2,333,087 11/1943 Bayer 5--51 2,485,188 10/1949 Catalini 5-12 X 2,676,335 4/1954 Goodman 5-51 2,752,613 7/1956 Castro et al 5-5l 2,849,058 8/1958 Bulleri et al 297-455 X 3,081,130 3/1963 Wieland 297-455 FOREIGN PATENTS 92,397 6/ 1897 Germany. 510,764 10/1930 Germany.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

R. B. FARLEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A CONVERTIBLE DAVENPORT BED OF THE TYPE IN WHICH A FOLDED BED STRUCTURE SUPPORTS LOOSE SEAT CUSHIONS, IN COMBINATION; A RECTANGULAR BASE HAVING END RAILS AND A FRONT RAIL; A FOLDING BED STRUCTURE THAT OCCUPIES A FOLDED POSITION WITHIN THE BASE, SAID BED STRUCTURE HAVING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED END FRAME MEMBERS NEAR THE ENDS OF THE BASE, THE FRONT OF SAID FOLDED STRUCTURE BEING CLOSE BEHIND THE BASE FRONT RAIL; A PAIR OF SPRING BRACKETS SECURED TO THE FRONT OF THE FOLDED STRUCTURE CLOSE TO THE TOP OF THE BASE FRONT RAIL, EACH OF SAID BRACKETS HAVING AN EYE AND AN ARCUATE SPRING SUPPORTING FLANGE; A HELICAL TENSION SPRING HOOKED INTO EACH EYE AND OVERLYING THE FLANGE; AND A CROSS BAR THAT HAS ITS ENDS SECURED TO SAID SPRINGS SO THAT WEIGHT ON THE CROSSBAR ELONGATES SAID SPRINGS TO PERMIT THE CROSSBAR TO MOVE BODILY DOWNWARD WHILE THE ELONGATED SPRINGS CURVE AROUND SAID ARCUATE FLANGES.
 3. A CUSHIONING MEMBER FOR THE FRONT RAIL OF A DAVENPORT FRAME, SAID MEMBER COMPRISING: A BASE LOCK OF FIRM RESILIENT MATERIAL WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF A FRONT RAIL, SAID BASE BLOCK BEING RELATIVELY RESISTANT TO COMPRESSION; A FLEXIBLE METAL STRAP BONDED TO THE TOP OF SAID BASE BLOCK; A PAIR OF HELICAL TENSION SPRINGS ON THE ENDS OF SAID STRAP AND ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE FRAME ADJACENT THE ENDS OF THE FRONT RAIL; AND AN UPPER BLOCK OF FIRM, RESILIENT MATERIAL SECURED TO THE TOP OF THE STRAP, SAID UPPER BLOCK BEING MUCH LESS RESISTANT TO COMPRESSION THAN IS THE BASE BLOCK. 